Electric transportation system.



F. S. SMITH. BLBGTRIU TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION hum MAR. 11, 1907.

3 SHEETS-BHEET 1- PATENI'ED JULY 2, 1907.

No. 859,019 PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

P. s. SMITH.

. ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. 7 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1907.

' a sums-sum 2.

N (hi/W4 PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

F. S. SMITH. ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

7% m5 m5 m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN S. SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC CARRIER COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. I

ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

A Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

Application filed March 11 1907. Serial No. 361.780.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Electric Transportation Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to and comprehends certain improvements in that class of railway or transportation systems in which both the movable members or cars and the fixed members embody electrical mechanism or devices adapted to co operate to occasion movement of the cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a transportation system of the above class which shall not only be economical of current but less expensive to construct and mainta n than other systems of the same general character.

A further object of the invention is to provide in such a transportation system a movable member or members which shall be free from rotary driving mechanism and simple and inexpensive of construction.

A system embodying the foregoing and other advantages is hereinafter described and typified in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1, is a vertical longitudinal section of aportion of a transportation system especially applicable to mail or parcel carrying, embodying my invention, and illus trating in detail one of the movable members or. carriers; Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the parts represented in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, is an end elevation partly in transverse vertical section, of the transportation system illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, sight being taken from the left hand ends of said figures; Fig. 4, is a side elevation of a portion of a transportation system especially applicable to store service, and embodyingmy invention; Fig. 5, is a transverse vertical section of the devices represented in Fig. 4, on the line 55 of said figure, parti cularly illustrating one of the carriers in position; Fig. 6, is a side elevation of-one of said carriers; Fig. 7, is a longitudinal vertical section of a portionof a modified form of a transportation system embodying my invention and especially applicable to mail or package carrying; Fig. 8, is an end elevation, sectional on the line 66, of Fig. 7, of the transportation system illustrated in said Fig, 7, and Fig. 9, is a transverse vertical section of a modified form of the fixed member and its associated tracks with their supporting means, which may be used instead of that form illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5..

In an application for patent filed by me November 21, 1906, Serial No. 344,507, I have described and claimed an electrically actuated transportation system in which windings adapted to be energized by an alternating current of electricity are applied to a suitable core, constituting the fixed member, and paralleling the track or road bed of the system.

I and 3, for the reception of wheels b supporting the mov- In any desired position and able member or carrier B. parallel with these tracks, I mount an iron core D, which may or may not be laminated, providing it with windings consisting of transverse bars d of copper, or

other suitable material, connected at their ends with longitudinally extending plates (1, also of copper or other suitable material. These bars and plates constitute windings similar to those known as squirrel cage windings or an induction motor, and may, as is obvious, be replaced by other types of eflicient windings.

The movable member or carrier B, in the construction under consideration, conveniently consists of a casing or container, having within it an iron core b provided with windings adapted in the present instance to be supplied with three-phase alternating current.

All of the corresponding free ends of each set of the windings b b and b are connected by a common con .ductor 5 while the other free end I) of the windings b is connected to a brush or contact shoe 0 mounted upon but insulated from the body or frame of the carrier B in any desired manner. Similarly another tree end I; of the winding b is connected to a second brush or shoe 0', of said carrier, while the third free end b of the wincling b is connected in any desired manner to said carrier so as also to be electrically connected to the wheels 12'. Conducting rails a and a are so placed as to be respectively engaged by the shoes 0 and 0', while in addition I also provide conducting rails a which also serve as track rails. These three sets of conducting rails are connected in a manner well understood, to any suitable source of three phase alternating current.

The carrier moreover controls or local- B is acompartment of the carrier adapted to contain structure may be of such form, dimensions, proportions and organization as may be desired.

With the three phase alternating current supplied to the three sets of rails a, a and a as described, the consequent energization of the windings b, b and b will cause the carrier B to travelin a direction determined by the respective terminal connections of said windings, under the laws governing the operation of induction motors.

It will be obvious that in place of the three phase windings described, I may substitute windings adapted to be supplied with other forms of alternating current.

In the 'application'oi my invention to a'transporta tion system which it is desired that the carriers should operate in both directions, such, for instance,

as a store service system,'l conveniently resort to the. embodiment represented in Figs. 4', 5 and 6, in which E'is a framework preferably depending from suspens'ion rods 0. This framework embodies an elongated iron core D which may or.may not be laminated, and provided upon a-pair of its opposite faces with transverse copper bars-d short circuited or connected at their respective ends by copper plates 11, as already described with reference to the embodiment represented in the first three figures of the drawings. Above and below the core D are bracket structures 0, each of which supports a pair of substantially parallel guide rods or rails e respectively in alinementby pairs, the one above the other. I ml is a structure also mountedupon. the frame, and, in the present embodiment, forming part thereof, which parallels the core and is provided on its vertical side faces with three exposed electrical conductors g, g. and g The brackets e the core D and the structure d are conveniently united by vertical extending bolts d.

B is a carrier preferably embodying an upper and a lower compartment, of which the upper contains the carrier core I) and the windings-b b and 1) arranged in a manner similar to those already described in connection with the embodiment illustrated in the first 'threefigures of the drawings. The free ends of the windings b b and b are however, electrically con-' nected to spring pressed brushes a a and a, designed to respectively make contact with the conductors g, g and g, which are connected with a source of alternating current.

The carrier B is provided at each end with an upper I guide arm b and a lower guide arm b, each ofwhich is so recessed as to engage one of the guide rods e, which serve as rails. The lower compartment of the carrier serves to receive articles to be transported and preferably has a door b In the operation of this embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that the terminal connections 'of the windings b b and b are to be the same on both sides; I

In the application of my invention represented in Figs. 7 and 8, a form especially applicable to mail 'or parcel carrying, the iron core D, which may or may not be laminated, and which constitutes the fixed element,

is, as in the embodiment represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, located between andiparallebwith the carrying .rails a'and a In this embodiment therailsa and e and I the core D, in addition to serving respectively as carrying railsand a fixed element for the induced current, possess the additional function of constituting the three conductors of a three phase current. Inthis ems 'bodiment, however,- I dispensewith the shoes 0, .represented in Fig. 3, and substitute a brush f attached to butinsulated from the core of the moving element or carrier, and adapted to make contact with the fixed element. The rails or a in this embodiment are also conductors of different phases, and the carrying wheels b, b are insulated from each other by in-. sulating collars h, h 'on their common axle '5.

. k', Ic are conducting collars applied to the axle 'i, and respectively connected by conducting wires Z, Z

with two of the respective phase windings.

m is a third conducting wire connecting the brush f with the third phase winding.

In this embodiment, moreover, the moving'element or carrier B 'is provided with a divided core B", B so as to provide'a central carrying compartment or container B for the receptionof-the articles to be transported. The divided core as to its three phase wind ings is connected by the conducting wires l, I and m,

in the manner illustrated Figs. 7 and 8: the second phase winding beingdividedinto two parts respectively disposed upon opposite ends of the container.

As a result of this special embodiment, the pole pitch is the entire length of the carrier, with the result that a higher speed is attained than would otherwise be pos sible. V L

Having thus described my invention in certain of its out departure from'the principles that underlie it, va

the fixed elements may be adopted! For example, in

9, I have illustrated a special form oifixed member and track structure as designed for use instore service, the core D being placed between two of thecurrent supply conductors 9 while the rails of tracks typical embodiments, it isto beunderstood that with- I rious modifications in the: windings of the movable and e are connected to serve as the means whereby the third phase winding is furnished-with current.

Claims: I

1. An electric transportation system consisting of a fixed member, rails adjacent to and parallelwith said fixed member, with "a movable member adapted to operate upon said rails, said member embodying a winding divided into two sections having a container between them and adapted to be: connected with a source of alternating current supply, substantially as described.

2. Anelectric transportation system consisting of a fixed member provided with a winding short-circuited upon itself, rails adjacent to and parallel with said fixed member, and a movable member adapted to operateupon said rails,- substantially as described.

3. An electric transportation system consisting of a fixed member provided with a winding short-circuited upon itself, rails adjacent to and parallel with said fixed member, and a movable member adapted to operate upon said rails and embodying windings adapted to inductively energize said fixed member, substantially as described.

4. An electric transportation system consisting of a fixed member, a track arranged to serve as a conductor adjacent to and parallel with 'said fixed member, conductors also adjacent to and parallel with said fixed member and said track, a movable member embodying a winding, and means for electrically connecting said winding and said'cond'uctors to occasion the travel or said movable member along said track, substantially as described.

5. An electric transportation system consisting. of a fixed member, tracks adjacent to and parallel with two t its opposite races, and movable members adapted to be connected 'with'a source of alternatingcurrent supply to tracks, substantially as described.

6. An electric transportation system consisting of a.-

fixed member comprising a core of magnetic material, transverse conductors upon two opposite faces 01 said core, means forshort-circuitlng said conductors, tracks ad-- jacent to and parallel with said fixed member upon oppo-n occasion their movement in opposite directions upon said,

7. An electric transportation system consisting. of a fixed member provided with a winding upon two of its.

opposite faces and short-circuited upon itself, conductors adjacent to and parallel with said fixed member, guide rails adjacent to and parallel with, each ot the wound faces of said flxed member, a movable member embodying a winding, and means for connecting said winding with said conductors tooccasion the movement of the movable member along either wound face of said fixed member,

substantially as described. 1

8. An electric transportation system consisting of afixed member, tracks, and a movable member for operatingon said tracks,- there being windings on the movable member arranged in a plurality of sections placed apart from each other and connected to a sourceof current, said windings being designed to co-operate with the fixed member to'cause movement of said movable member, substantially as described.

'9. An electric transportation system consisting. of a fixed member, tracks, and a movable member for-operating on said tracks, there being a plurality of windings on .the movable member provided with means for supplying alternating current of different phases to said windings respectively, one of the windings being separated into sections relatively distant from 'each other, substantially as described.

10. An electric transportation system consisting ot a fixed member, tracks, and a movable member for operating on said tracks, there being a winding on the movable member connected to a source of alternating current, said winding being placed to coact with-the fixed member to cause movement of the other member and being termed in 

